Feds indict 24 people in meth ring case

San Diego  A yearlong investigation into a methamphetamine ring in Chula Vista and San Diego resulted in the federal indictment of two dozen people, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego announced Thursday.

The investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and the Chula Vista Police Department dismantled what U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy said was a “significant methamphetamine distribution network” operating in the county.

The indictment charged all of the defendants with a single count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. It was handed up by a federal grand jury on Sept. 15. As of Thursday, 19 of the 24 people named had been arrested, the majority of them on Wednesday and Thursday.

Authorities served search warrants at eight homes and one business Thursday as part of what they dubbed “Operation Jackhammer.” At one of the homes, they also uncovered an indoor marijuana growing operation, said Tim Durst, assistant special agent for ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations.

In addition to 260 plants, agents also found several guns, including a loaded .357-caliber handgun, and 1,000 rounds of ammunition, Durst said.

The defendants range in age from 23 to 56. Most lived in Chula Vista or San Diego, but others lived in Lemon Grove, Escondido and Tijuana.

Durst described the ring as a large scale distribution network that was tightly focused on selling the drugs primarily in San Diego County. “These drugs were being distributed to our local communities here,” he said.

The organization had ties to two Mexican drug cartels, but officials declined to identify them.

Mexican cartels have become the major source of methamphetamine production over the past several years, leading to a spike in the amount of the drug seized by federal agents.

San Diego is usually used as a transit point for drugs being smuggled from Mexico to another part of the United States, said Derek Benner, special agent in charge in San Diego for Homeland Security Investigations. The fact that the ring operated locally makes the case significant, Benner said.

In the indictment, the government is seeking the forfeiture of two residences, one on Inkopah Street in Chula Vista and a second on Marcwade Court in San Diego. Both were used to store, weigh and repackage the drugs, the indictment said.

The defendants are expected to be arraigned in federal court in San Diego Friday or Monday. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. In addition to the methamphetamine cases, two others were arrested and charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.